In the sermon titled 'Jesus and Pilate,' delivered by David Green, the focus is on the trial of Jesus before Pilate as recorded in Mark 15:1-15. The sermon highlights the contrast between the religious charges of blasphemy brought by the Jewish Sanhedrin and the civil charges of insurrection brought before Pilate. Despite Pilate's recognition of Jesus' innocence, he ultimately succumbs to the demands of the crowd, manipulated by the chief priests, to release Barabbas instead of Jesus. The sermon delves into Pilate's character, drawing from historical sources like Josephus and Philo, and emphasizes Jesus' silent endurance in fulfillment of prophecy. The message concludes with a call to personal reflection on one's faith and the significance of Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of humanity.

Alright, there we go. It's okay, I'm alright. Mark chapter 15, and we'll begin reading at verse 1 and we'll go down to verse 15 this morning. In straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council and bound Jesus and carried him away and delivered him to Pilate. Pilate asked him, art thou the king of the Jews?

And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many things, but he answered nothing. Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? Behold, how many things they witnessed against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.

Now at that feast, he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. There was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them, that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. But Pilate answered them saying, will ye that I release unto you the king of the Jews?' He knew that the chief priest had delivered him for envy. But the chief priest moved the people that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will you then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the king of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify Him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why? What evil hath he done? They cried out, The more exceedingly, crucify him.

And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus when he had scourged him to be crucified." Today, I want to preach a message on this text the subject of Jesus and Pilate. Jesus and Pilate. Remember what Jesus has already gone through up to this point. The Sanhedrin and the Roman soldiers as well as the temple police, they were led by Judas in an act of betrayal and they arrested Jesus in the middle of the night and he's taken to the high priest quarters. First to Annis, then to Caiaphas, and there's a mock trial that he's brought that he's brought before a mock indictment for some kind of crime against the state against Rome.

They can't find anything. Annis gives up on that, passes him off to Caiaphas and false witnesses are brought in. They're bribed. There's lies. Their testimonies are incoherent, inconsistent.

They can't come up with anything that really makes any sense. And so they're left to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. Why? Because Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of God, thus claiming deity. In the midst of all of this, remember the Apostles forsook him, Peter denied him, And in fact, in fact in all of this, catch don't miss the timeline because the denials end with Peter as the Sun becomes begins to come up the rooster starts to crow.

See, what a night. Now, after such a night as that, chapter 15 Mark is recording here for us under inspiration of the Holy Spirit this trial quote-unquote before Pilate. This trial quote-unquote before Pilate. Probably early morning, maybe very early in the morning, he finds himself in He finds himself in Pilate's judgment hall. Who is Pilate?

His name is forever mentioned with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and any student of the scriptures knows his name, but who was he? Well, we can glean historical information about him from three different sources. One is Josephus, the historian, the other is Philo, the historian, and then thirdly, most importantly, the Gospels. That's where we find out information about Pilate. From what we gather, Pilate was a cruel tyrant, particularly to the Jews.

Go with me, if you will, over to Luke's Gospel, Luke chapter 13. Just so you understand what kind of a man he was to the Jews. Josephus records other cruelties, but in Luke chapter 13 and verse 1, and going down to verse 3, Notice what Luke records here and what Jesus says. There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus answering said unto them, suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things.

I tell you nay, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish." And so he was a cruel tyrant, a cruel man to others. Over in John chapter 19, verse 10, Verse 10, then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest not that I have power to crucify thee, have power to release thee." So this man he said, do you not know that I have authority over you? Now what kind of a man was this to think that he had authority over Jesus? But he did, he thought that.

He thought very highly of himself. He says, you know, whatever people may think of you, listen this is what I think of myself and I've got authority over you. Pilot, remember when I mentioned about this being a trial I said quote unquote, you know put quotation marks around this because This really wasn't a trial that Jesus was brought before Pilate Pilate was not to be another judge of Jesus He was to be the executioner at this point. That's what this was all about. And so in our text you see Pilate right away, he says, are you king of the Jews?

And Jesus says, well you yourself say it. This was strong affirmation of what he was accused of and strong affirmation that Jesus wasn't going to back down from this accusation either. And in Mark 15, Mark simply records the chief priests accused him of many things, but he answered but he answered nothing. What were those things? Well, Mark wasn't the only eyewitness we have here.

He wasn't the only inspired writer of the record. Luke gives us some more information over in Luke chapter 23. Luke chapter 23. As we find the record of what the accusations that were brought against Jesus, we find details here in Luke 23 verses 1 & 2 it says, then the whole multitude of them arose and led him unto Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar saying that he himself is Christ a king.

So the accusations are as follows. Number one, he's perverted the nation. Number two, he's forbid to give tribute to Caesar. That's a big crime in that day. Caesar was considered a god.

And number three, this also goes along with it, saying he himself is Christ a king. If Caesar's king, how can Christ be king? You see, all of these things are brought up, and these charges they probably repeated and varied in some form after Jesus confessed that he was king. Now, when you put all these things together, it's worth noting that the Jewish Sanhedrin condemned Jesus for religious offense of blasphemy earlier over in Mark chapter 14 and verse 62 we looked at that a couple last week maybe mark 14 and verse 62 Jesus said I am you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the eyepriest ran his clothes and saith, What need we any further witness?

You have heard the blasphemy, what think ye? They all condemned him to be guilty of death so the charge before the Sanhedrin was blasphemy but when they come before Pilate they they bring up charges not of blasphemy but of civil offenses. Why did they do that? Well the reason is the Romans who they're before now, Pilate and so on, they did this because of the Romans would not have been interested in their religious questions. In fact, over in Acts chapter 18, over in Acts chapter 18.

We see this being played out with Paul in Acts chapter 18 verses 14 through 15. Verses 14 through 15. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Galio said unto the Jews, if it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, or you Jews reason would that I should bear with you, but if it be a question of words and names and of your law, look ye to it, for I will be no judge of such matters." And so he had to be brought before Pilate because the authority in their system was that the authority for capital punishment was in the Romans. The Romans had that authority, not the Sanhedrin. But the Romans were not interested in squabbles about religion.

They were interested in civil disputes. They were interested in someone who might be trying to cause some sort of a insurrection, someone who might be trying to usurp the authority of the king, someone who might be trying to trying to overthrow the government and so on and so forth, someone who would not be be giving tribute to Caesar. See? And so these are the accusations that are brought. So when these accusations are brought, In Mark chapter 15 verses 4 & 5, Pilate asked him again saying, answers thou nothing?

Behold how many things they witness against thee, but Jesus yet answered nothing so that Pilate marveled. Jesus no more answered anything. He had answered the one great question with the king of the Jews. But further answer would have been vain against such malignant accusers. You see, over in Isaiah chapter 53, there's this great prophecy, where most of us are very familiar with this passage.

But in Isaiah 53 verse 7 If you're not familiar with this chapter, I'd encourage you to read it, meditate on it, consider it. It says, he was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb, verse 7, he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter. As a sheep before her shears is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." You see, there's a time for answering and there's a time for not answering, and Jesus was brought before his accusers, knowing that he was going to be brought before, taken. He was going to the cross for the sins of his people.

In fact, much to be learned from him in Hebrews chapter 12, another passage that we need to spend more time on it and meditate on at least I do I love Hebrews chapter 11 the roll call of the heroes of faith but you know the writer didn't end there and after he wrote all those things about all them Old Testament saints Whether it was Paul or Apollo sir someone else. I don't know. I don't know who wrote Hebrews Some say it may have even just it may have even been a sermon that was preached You read it straight through it takes about 45 minutes Whoever preached it whoever wrote it. I don't know but it's it's it's given for us by inspiration of God, and we see it here. Verse 1, after giving all them great examples of those the faith of the patriarchs and other faithful servants, it says, wherefore?

Seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking, where? To Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured to cross Despising the shame and it sat down at the right hand of the throne of God for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest you be wearied and faint in your minds." And so we fix our eyes, set our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He's the one who endured the cross. He's the one who despised the shame. He's the one who is sitting at the right hand of the fire.

He's the one who has has completed the author and the finisher of our faith. He's our great example, our great high priest. Pilate, Pilate marveled at Jesus. Let us do more than marvel at him. Let us believe him.

Let us trust him. Let us put our full faith in him. Verses 6 through 11 there in Mark chapter 15 we see Pilate as he sought to release him. There was one named Barabbas. He laid bound with them, that had made insurrection with them, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

So I said, I'll release this Barabbas, this Jesus. Pilate said to them, verse 9, will you that I release unto you the king of the Jews, for he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. What in the world would cause Pilate to do this, to make this offer? I believe, as I meditated on this and studied this and read after some other commentators, I believe that that pilot made this offer because he had become kind of unpopular with the Jews, as I mentioned earlier.

You know, some of the things he had done in the past and all this, and He knew that Jesus had been delivered, that there was really nothing in him, that there was but Barabbas was a hardened criminal and all that, and being guilty of insurrection, attended by robbery and murder. And in fact, it's quite possible, as we look at the whole thing and the whole picture, he and some of his associates were awaiting execution. This Barabbas fellow, it's quite possible that the two robbers were among Barabbas' associates, that the two thieves that he was hung with were Barabbas' associates. But whatever the case, the chief priests stirred up the people that they should release Barabbas instead of Jesus. Men love darkness rather than light.

And so Pilate consents that Jesus will be crucified. Over in Matthew chapter 27 we read a little bit more. Matthew chapter 27 verse 24, when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, that rather a tumult was made. He took water and washed his hands before the multitude saying, I am innocent, the blood of this just person, see to it. Then answered all the people and said his blood be on us when our children then released T.

Barnaby, Barabbas rather, Barabbas unto them when he had scourged Jesus he delivered him to be crucified. When the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall and gathered under him the whole band of soldiers They stripped him put him scarlet robe We see pilot knew that this man was innocent knew that Jesus was innocent He made a great show of washing his hands. He said, I'll have no... He said, I'm innocent of the blood of this just person. See to it.

Listen to me now. Outward washing, outward cleansing, outward show, it may do something for the people watching, but he won't do anything before God. It may have gained him favor with some Jews, But unless he actually repented before God and put his full faith and trust in Jesus Christ, he would go on to die and go into an eternal hell and one day you'll stand before God in judgment. You see now terrible it is to think about that the people in that crowd were so pulled over by the Sanhedrin, the priests, the ones who would do harm to Jesus, that they started crying out to crucify Him and even His blood be on us and our children, knowing that Jesus had done so many wonderful things among them. The blind were made to see, the deaf were made to hear, the dumb could speak, and the lame walk again.

The thousands who had been fed. Often as I read through the scriptures I often think about what I would be doing if I would be there and perhaps you do the same thing. And it's easy to read the scriptures and say, well, I would have never done that. But The reality is that you and I, in our depravity, we'd probably be right there in the crowd shouting for the crucifixion of Jesus. Because here's where it's at, folks.

When Jesus was on his way to that cross, he was going there because of your sins and my sins. And he would die there for his people While you and I may not have been there that day We can't get all puffed up and say we're any better than them Jews Because the reality is that if there was only one sinner on this earth that Jesus had come to die for, it was the man that looks at you in the mirror every morning. You'd have enough sins that Jesus would have had to go to that cross to die for you, lest you go on to be in eternal hell. So, I'm thankful today that Jesus was willing to face pilot, to endure the shame, to go on to the cross, to be beat, to be whipped, to face all of the false witnesses and the terrible accusations, and then to go on and die on the cross for the sins of his people. And so as I bring this to a close because I don't know how much longer my voice is gonna hold out.

I'll just say this, are you safe today? Do you know Jesus? Have you repented of your sins? Put your faith in Him. There is no salvation to be found in any other place.

May God have the blessing to his word. Thank you for your attention. I'll ask, let's just go ahead and dismiss in prayer and I'll ask Brother Sam Would you please pray for us? I'm losing my house now. Thank you, Christ.

I hope